The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-16
CAUGHT IN THE COUNTRY.
The Negro Who Assaulted Officer
Johnson in Jail.
From the Macon GA Telegraph.


From the Macon Ca Telegraph.
The name Of the negro who dealt Officer
Johnson a ringing blow with his own club
Monday night is Ruffin Rhodes, and he was
brought into town yesterday.
1t seems that on Tuesday afternoon after
Messrs. Hodnett Jones and Birdsong lost
him under the vines in the ditch the search
was taken up by q. party headed by Mr.
Frank Smith The party tracked him over
the country, through woods and fields until
late in the afternoon and then lost track Of
him. Then Mrs. Smith saw him going over
| a hill and reported it to the party, who took
fresh start and went in pursuit. When
they first saw him he was going through
Mr.. John Herring's field and they called on
Mr.. Herring TO stop him. The party were
so far off that Mr.. Herring did not quite I'M
derstand what they said, and, supposing it
was q bear he was called upon to stop, he
dropped his pillow handles and gathered n
large rock. 1t was then that he saw a negro
breaking for a skirt of woods near by.
When the party came up a search was made
in the woods, but the fugitive could not be
found.
About an hour before the sun went down
the searching party stopped at Mr.. Her.
rings house Mr.. Herring and his family
came up at the same time, the family hav-
ing gone to the field in the early part of the
evening. On reaching the house they found
that the door had been burst open, and on
entering everything was topsy-turvy The
trunks had been opened and the contents
scattered about the floor, and even the fur
niture had been broken. 1t then flashed
upon them that the house had been visited
by the man they were after Although the
party were worried out with the long search
they now became active and a search
was made for the negro. Other neigh
bors were called in and soon quite a
party of men had gathered about the house.
A look into the house revealed no trace of
the negro except that he had been there
and demolished everything. Then a thought
struck one of the party that possibly he
might be in the loft. K ladder was pro-
cured and placed against the gable end Of
the house, and one of the bravest of the
party, Mr.. Frank Smith, assembled. A
plank was ripped off, and the negro was
seen lying in the loft. He told the intruder
that If he came in he would kill him Mr.
Smith went down the ladder, and in a
short time the cold barrel of a shotgun was
thrust through the hole, and
voice asked the negro to surren-
der. He swore he wouldn't, and re-
peated his threat to kill the man VINO came
in. There was loud report and the negro,
with howl of pain, sprang to the opening
and declared that he would whip the entire
Pui WI w lAlllli olIIltIlOAS uclu d gun
In about the position of carry arms" and
in twinkling the negro had shot out a
heavy plank from the loft through the
opening. 1t struck the stock of the gun
held by Mr.. Simmons with such force as to
break the stock short off. If the gun had
had not broken the force of the plank it
would no doubt have killed Mr.. Simmons.
This decided the party and they determined
to take him dead or alive. The
negro, in the meantime, had left
the loft and descended into the
house. The crowd rushed in upon him and
he was soon overpowered, though he fought
manfully. He gave up, and said he would
go with them without further trouble He
was found to have been shot in the hip, and
On effort was made to wash off and dress
the wound. By this time it was dark, and
it was necessary to have lamp. The
fugitive knocked the lamp out of the
hand of the negro who held it, and
would have given the men more trouble
but for their determined effort to hold
HIM His hands were tied after desperate
struggle, and trace chain placed around
his neck and tied. A stake was then driven
securely in the ground, and the negro, find
ing that he was firmly bound, gave no more
trouble, He was guarded all night, and
yesterday morning he was placed in a
wagon and brought to Macon. The follow
ing constituted the party: John Herring,
Frank Smith, Madison Latson, William
Simmons and John Bull